Weekend Workshops in Biodynamic Awareness


Phase One
The Stillness Within:
A Weekend Introduction to
Biodynamic Craniosacral Work

This class, held each spring and fall, is open to lay people as well as those in the healing arts. Instead of focusing on fixing problems, Biodynamic Craniosacral Work helps you to perceive what health feels like~in yourself and in another person. It's possible to encourage the inherent ability to heal and evolve.

The Biodynamic approach is one of being with, not doing to. The treatment follows the body’s natural inclinations, sequence, and timing, so healing arises effortlessly. The work facilitates deep rest, transformation, and unsurpassed activation of healing potential. It feels great both to give and to receive it.

Biodynamics arose from osteopathic medicine. The clinical applications are profound, even in the non-medical version presented here. You can practice it on its own or as an adjunct to any therapeutic modality. It applies to all healing arts, meditation practices, and the evolution of consciousness.

In this work, the practitioner’s state of consciousness is the basis for expanded awareness and physiological change in the client. Therefore, practitioners place great attention on self-preparation. We may spend years cultivating the discipline, equanimity and refined perceptual skills required to master this practice. Experiential mentorship is invaluable.

In this introductory class, we will emphasize the "neutral," which is the portal of stillness through which healing and evolutionary intelligence enter. Through meditation, movement, lecture, exchanges with partners, and discussion, you will:

• Cultivate a body-felt awareness of what a neutral feels like—in your own body, in someone else's body, and in the environment.
• Receive tools to help quiet your mind, locate your midline, and touch in tonal match.
• Develop awareness of embodied states of consciousness.
• Be introduced to key features of the biodynamic map, including the Midline, the Neutral, Stillpoint, Fluid Tide, Long Tide, and the Dynamic Stillness.
• Learn how the biodynamic lineage fits into the paradigm of craniosacral work.

This class can be powerful on its own or it can be supplemented with the One Year Program and the Apprenticeship (see below).

Previous Participants Comment:

Jenna in her brilliance teaches us about the stillness underlying all true healing.

This spoke to my heart deeply. All that is present for me now—in my work, in my spiritual journey, in my life—came together with this material.

Presented with sincerity, excitement, awe & respect that was contagious...beautiful!

Instructor Jenna Milner is a licensed massage therapist with a full-time private practice in Ithaca, NY. She has been a student of craniosacral work since 1997, and joyfully found her calling in the biodynamic lineage in 2002. Her teaching draws on an extensive background in yoga and meditation, as well as many years studying and assisting at the IM School of Healing Arts.

“Biodynamics has sensitized me to a level of perception that is missing from technique-oriented programs. It has revolutionized my professional practice, helped me understand the nature of healing, and allowed me to relax more. I love sharing my passion for this work!”

Prerequisite Ability to be still for 35 minutes.
(Bodywork or meditation experience helpful.)

Cost  $295

To enroll  or for more information, email or call Jenna at (607) 273-3842.

Phase Two
Biodynamic Awareness: 
The One Year Program

Join us for a kinesthetic adventure in three "movements": 

• Fluid Tide Weekend, 
• Long Tide Weekend, and 
• Dynamic Stillness Weekend. 

Working with a committed group, you will:

• Become familiar with the feeling of fluid tide, long tide, and the dynamic stillness—the foundations of the biodynamic map. 
• Widen and refine your perception, which you will harness for self-knowledge and healing. 
• Be moved by instinctual wisdom rather than led by your mind.
• Discover and engage the potency of stillness.

Intended for healing arts practitioners seeking greater awareness and effectiveness; and for meditators who have a body! (Projected start date: November 2009, March 2010 or when a group forms.) Enrollment by invitation of the instructor following participation in The Stillness Within.

Cost:  $1,000 (includes three weekends and two individual one-hour mentoring sessions with Jenna outside class time).

Location:  TBA, in the area of Ithaca, New York.

Phase Three
The Apprenticeship

A masterful and nuanced understanding of this work usually takes many years to achieve, and it's essential to have supervision and peer support on the way. The Apprenticeship, then, is a Three Year Support Curriculum for graduates of the One Year Program who want to refine their perceptual skills and understanding of Biodynamic Craniosacral Work in a more clinical context; and those who wish to dive further into the biodynamic map than is possible in the One Year Program. 

This core group will meet formally at least once a year for three days. There will also be periodic day-long meetings on Saturdays or Sundays (to include lecture or discussion plus a biodynamic exchange with a partner), mentoring sessions with Jenna, and a suggested schedule of peer exchanges and reading assignments. Details to be arranged. (Projected start date: Spring 2011)

Prerequisite:  The One Year Program.